05/26/2026
Broken Open: Grief, Ordinary Mysticism, and a Pledge to Nonviolence | Unity Spiritual Center Denver | 5.24.26
Continuing an exploration of “ordinary mysticism,” Trish Morris reflects on grief as a natural response to life-altering loss and an invitation into the sacred unknown where mystics say we come to know God. Drawing from Nearby Star and Mirabai, they describe being “broken open” as staying present with suffering rather than bypassing it, allowing grief—the other side of love—to deepen compassion and keep love alive beyond death. They highlight Father Gregory Boyle and Homeboy Industries as a model of meeting violence with hope, belonging, and love, quoting his view that “God lives in the loving” and “I will carry you no matter what.” The talk introduces a 13-point nonviolence pledge (daily meditation, reconciliation, service, health, Earth communion, radical joy, and beloved community) and closes with a meditation and a Quan Yin prayer: “May this suffering serve to awaken compassion.”
